1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to terminations for wiring and, more particularly, to a terminal block for a renovation load center. The invention also relates to renovation load centers employing terminations for wiring, such as terminal blocks.
2. Background Information
Load centers house the connections between the incoming lines of an electric power distribution system and the numerous branch circuits in an installation, such as a residence or light commercial or industrial facility. Overcurrent protection is provided for the branch circuits in older load centers by fuses, but now in most newer installations by circuit breakers. Additional protection, such as surge protection, is provided in some load centers. Typically, the load center will have a main circuit breaker as well as separate breakers for each of the branch circuits.
The load center includes an enclosure, which may be fabricated from sheet metal or molded of an insulative resin. Housed in the enclosure is a branch circuit assembly, also commonly referred to as the interior, which typically includes a pair of line buses secured by a support insulator to the rear wall of the enclosure. The fuses or circuit breakers connect each branch hot conductor to one of the line buses, or to both buses in the case of a two pole breaker. The branch circuit assembly also includes one or more neutral terminal blocks to which the branch circuit neutral conductors are secured. In some cases, such as for ground fault circuit breakers, a ground terminal block or blocks are also provided in the enclosure.
There comes a time when the existing load center needs to be replaced, such as where a fuse load center is replaced by a load center with circuit breakers, or for instance, where branch circuits are added or updated. Typically, in existing load centers, the incoming lines are made as short as possible. It is common for them to be too short to reach the required terminals in the replacement load center. However, the gauge of the incoming lines is large enough that it is difficult, time consuming and expensive to splice extensions onto the incoming lines. It is known to provide a renovation load center including an enclosure in which a branch circuit assembly is mounted and also including one or more renovation terminal blocks having two sides. A first side of these terminal blocks accepts incoming existing wiring (e.g., from an electrical receptacle; from an electric utility). An opposite second side of such terminal blocks accepts wiring going to the desired connection point (e.g., the load terminal of a branch circuit breaker; the line terminals of a main two-pole circuit breaker) inside the renovation load center. The enclosure may include an auxiliary enclosure in which the renovation terminal blocks are mounted. The auxiliary enclosure may be mounted on a main load center enclosure.
In such a renovation load center, it may be inconvenient to gain access to the first side of the renovation terminal blocks, which accept the incoming existing wiring, when the first side is positioned relatively close to the top or end of the main load center enclosure or the auxiliary enclosure.
There is a need, therefore, for an improved terminal block, which provides improved access to its terminals.
There is also a need for an improved load center, which provides improved access to terminal block terminals.